BDSM and Stigma (4 CE Hours, 2024)

Course Description

While consensual BDSM activities are no longer considered deviant by mental health standards, we still see BDSM practitioners experiencing stigmatization in and out of their kinky community. This class will explore common ways that BDSM stigmatization happens and what the impact of stigma is at individual and community levels.  

Participants will discover how BDSM stigmatization shows up in interpersonal, institutional and systemic ways, specifically through kink communities, relationships and kink culture. We’ll address the ways in which dominant identities shape acceptability, inclusion and validity within BDSM communities. We’ll cover topics like: 

• Is fetishization harmful? 
• Should we censor certain types of BDSM play? 
• What’s the difference between pain and injury in BDSM? 

Participants will learn tools to explore how personal experiences may bias their approaches to understanding and supporting positive client outcomes.

Learning Objectives 

At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to: 

• Explain how stigmatization shows up in BDSM 
• Identify tools for navigating shame about BDSM 
• Describe 2 ways that BDSM stigmatization creates harm 
• Discuss approaches to reducing bias about and in BDSM 
• List factors that contribute to BDSM stigmatization 
• Explain 2 ways to start unpacking personal bias about BDSM 
• Describe 2 tools for building communication and safety skills with BDSM practitioners

Activity Schedule

1 Hour: Understanding BDSM and Stigmatization 

1 Hour: Impact and Influence of BDSM Stigmatization 

1 Hour: Approaches for Challenging Bias in BDSM 

1 Hour: Redefining BDSM: Tools for Self-Discovery, Pleasure and Empowerment

Presenter Bio

Luna Matatas is a Sex and Pleasure Educator with over 15 years of experience teaching sex and empowerment workshops. She celebrates body confidence, self-adoration and building shame-free pleasure in and out of the bedroom. She teaches a wide range of topics; including threesomes, BDSM and sexual confidence. Luna loves teaching people how to build a better relationship to their bodies, practice empathy with their partner’s insecurities and needs, and how to get curious about their erotic imagination.She created Peg the Patriarchy® and Meditate Medicate Masturbate® brands as part of her sex-positive and feminist merchandise.